


The Soap Opera

by Silveryfeather



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Kindred Spirits, Light Romance, Soap Opera, work party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 08:19:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19247380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silveryfeather/pseuds/Silveryfeather
Summary: Esplin goes to a party mandated by the Council of Thirteen and runs into a less than savory person while he’s there.





	The Soap Opera

Parties were never Esplin’s thing.

He never liked them on Earth and he certainly didn’t like them here. Being surrounded by people he distrusted and hated while also having to act socially courteous to appease the requirements of a function. It was all a waste of time for him. Why should he be here with a bunch of fools he hated when he could be back on Earth trying to figure out how to get rid of those damn andalite bandits?

Esplin angled his host’s ears back as he half-listened to Visser Five, the one with the human host, gush over his latest findings on the telepathy of the Leerans and how they could use it against the andalites. Beside him, Visser Ten, the one with the hork-bajir host, was nodding sagely like she already had this figured out long before Visser Five did. It was almost enough for him to evacuate his host now and just wait for the sweet, sweet embrace of death. 

Too bad he couldn’t get intoxicated at least.  _ That _ would make this party a little bit more interesting. 

“So Visser Three, what do you think?” Both Visser Five and Visser Ten had their eyes on him now. The fur along his shoulders rippled for a moment as he realized that he completely checked out of the conversation for a moment. 

<I think I need to get out of here.> Esplin muttered, deciding to completely change the conversation on his own terms. <By the slup niar this party is absolutely drawling.>

“I feel that.” Visser Ten took a sip of her drink before swiping her tongue around her muzzle a few times. “The drinks are awful as well. Pureed tree bark and water? What do they think this is, a religious event or a party?”

“Ugh, yeah. I just spent fifteen minute listening to Visser Eight’s theory on andalite battle tatics and the goddamn position of the sun. The  _ sun _ .” He sneaked a glare at the garatron-hosted yeerk, wrinkling his nose. “God, if I had to listen to him for a moment more I would’ve made myself deaf.”   
  
Esplin felt a bit better he wasn’t the only one who hated being here. Almost like finding some kindred spirits, he mused. 

<I have better things to do than to have some government mandated ‘holiday’ party. Who knows what Iniss is messing up while I’m gone. The last time I left him in charge several of our satellite dishes were destroyed.> Esplin let out a scornful snort, gripping his cup. <I swear I’m going to kill that yeerk one day.>

The other two Visser exchanged looks that Esplin knew all too well. The ‘he’s crazy isn’t he?’ look. But he wasn’t about to start huffing and puffing about it at this point. They weren’t worth his time or thought.    
  
“Oh? Is that who I think it is?” Visser Ten’s attention is torn away from their group and towards the snack table where a Taxxon was currently tearing apart the carcass of some kind of beast. Just beyond the Taxxon was the bane of his existence. The very being whom he would  _ love _ to remove the head of if he could.

Visser One.

<Ugh, she’s here?> Esplin couldn’t even keep the distain out of his voice as he watched her carefully pick through the finger foods littered across the table.    
  
“Oh yeah, you hate her.” It sounded like Visser Five had some kind of revelation. Amazing. “Still living in her-”   
  
<If you finish that sentence I will have to politely  _ slap you across the face.> _ Esplin glared down at Visser Five. The Visser froze for a moment then quickly dipped his head in acceptance. Good, at least the fool knew better than to try to annoy him.    
  
“Don’t look now, she’s watching you.” Visser Ten suddenly cuts in, examining her cup like it was the most interesting thing possible.

Visser Three’s fur bristles as he snapped his stalks towards Visser One, who was in fact watching him. The two of them locked eyes and Esplin could feel the fur raising on his shoulders as he narrowed his eyes at her. Something about that yeerk made his stomachs turn. It was like her presence was just purely sickening.

Suddenly the cup in her hand broke, spilling water all over the floor. Esplin wrinkled his nose before promptly snatching his gaze away, tail tip trembling. It looks like she noticed him as well. Good.   
  
<I think I will go somewhere else.> With that he stepped away from his small group before slipping into the crowd again. Esplin had a feeling that if he stuck around any longer he would be in the scrutiny of the ‘delightful’ Visser One. 

It didn’t take him long to find the exit out of the main event hall and slipped out into the side hall where the waiters and waitresses go about their business behind the scenes. He did have to dodge a few here or there but it didn’t take him long to find a back room to hide out in. At least he could spend some time on his own before  _ someone  _ came looking for him. 

As he shuts the door behind himself, he snaps open a pocket on his belt before producing a small handheld computer. He turns it on then settles down on his haunches while flipping through the screens to find his favorite programs that he normally had stored away or situations like these.

<Ugh…> He had forgotten that he had that andalite romance movie still stored in here and it looked like he never finished it. He wondered if he should just finish the rest of it while he waited. <What the hell? Why not?>

He clicked the option and what popped up on screen was a not-so-nice romantic movie about a pair of lovers who absolutely hated one another. He remembered he was at the part where the female was panicking over the fact that her new mate had fought her former lover and cut off his tail. 

_ <B-But Carllon! It’s… it’s not what you think!> The lavender female cried as she grabbed her mate’s tail to try to stop him. _

_ <Silence Jalan! You have fooled me for the last time!> The male snarled as he yanks his tail away, turning back to the fallen male who was currently nursing his tail. He looked nervously up at the other male while he continued to approach.  _

_ <No!> Jalan leapt in front of him, placing her body firmly over her fallen lover’s. Her tail lifts to match him. <You will not kill him Carllon!> _

_ <Why?! Why shouldn’t I kill him Jalan?!> Carllon roared.  _

_ <He’s your brother you fool! The one you lost!> _

Oh, ho ho ho! Now this was getting interesting and the revelation was so out of left field as well. Esplin certainly wasn’t expecting that one! He remembered the brother was tossed into the river by his twin never to be seen again but to think that the females lover would be him!

_ <N-No… thats… that’s impossible!> Carllon backed away covering his ears as he looked horrified at the male. <He’s dead! I watched him drown Jalan!> _

_ Jalan takes a step forward before pressing her hands into his cheeks, making him go still. <It is true Carllon…> _

“Oh my god are you watching a soap opera in the damn pantry?” 

Visser One’s voice made Esplin freeze. Every muscle in his body tensed as his private shame was revealed to the one he hated the most. Green eyes met brown ones and locked together as Esplin’s face unconsciously heats up. Oh no… how did she find him!?   
  
<Visser One, what is the meaning of this?!> Esplin roared as he rose to his hooves, gripping his handheld tightly. 

Visser One’s face turned to one of smugnesses as she leans over and carefully grabs away the computer. Esplin could do nothing but quietly fume as she looked down. Her eyebrows furrowed together before suddenly lifting up in surprise.

“Oh my god! I remember this one. Doesn’t Carllon find out his twin brother is alive and that Jalan’s pregnant with twins?” 

Spoiler alert.    
  
<DAMN IT VISSER ONE I WASN’T FINISHED WITH IT.> He had  _ no  _ idea that Jalan was even pregnant in the first place! <MUST YOU RUIN EVERYTHING?>

“Oh shut up you big idiot, it’s not like it was a huge surprise.” She turned off the screen before offering it back to Esplin. Esplin snatched away the handheld before holding it against his chest, ears angling back.    
  
<You watch soap operas? Andalite ones?> He just realized that she had to have seen it to know the plot so well. Was this… a kindred spirit?

“Yeah, it gets boring moving from planet to planet so I picked up a few movies on the black market.  _ The Halaflan Tree _ is one of my favorites.” Visser one leaned against the back wall eyeing Esplin from head to toe for a moment. “Have you watched  _ Wishflowers and Promise Flowers? _ ”

<I have it downloaded but by the slup niar I can never find the right moment to watch it.> Esplin sighed heavily as he rolled his handheld in his hands for a moment. Was he really have a pleasant conversation with  _ her _ ? 

“How about we watch it now? It’s pretty damn boring out there and I’m pretty sure if I have to listen to Visser Two gushing over me any longer I’ll pull out my fucking hair.” 

Esplin sidled over before laying down, silently accepting her offer. Why not? It was boring as hell and at least she was being tolerable for once in her damnable life. Visser One seemed to brighten too which was oddly… attractive? Not in the romantic way but more of the aesthetically way. Anything was better than that sneer she often wore anyway. 

Esplin switched to the other movie just as Visser One settled beside him, leaning towards him to look at the hand held. He was acutely aware of her touching him but said nothing of it. If it became too annoying he would snap at her if needed.    
  
The movie started up with a young female andalite standing over a garden while a male child holds her hand. Stretched out in front of her was many, many promise flowers. Some were wilting while others were starting to bloom. It pans up to a male the same age as the female holding a couple bunches of the flowers in his arms while smiling at her.    
  
_ <Love wasn’t quite the word to describe what I felt for him. Our hearts were so deeply intertwined like the roots of the promise flowers in the garden. We had known one another since we were but the same age as our son is now. We had grown, played, learned, and laughed together for as long as my memory can go far back. He was my everything….> _

Esplin settled down as he watched the story unfold in front of him. The female had gone on to say that not everything was like it was now before the scene fades away to where they were much, much younger. The female was leaving the planet and her parents had given her the chance to say goodbye to him one last time. But just before she leaves on the ship, he comes running up and stops her. Right in front of her parents he slips a promise flower into her hands before telling her that when she comes back he’ll be waiting. 

As the movie went on, Esplin became more and more aware of Visser One leaning into him. He was certain that she was just using him as a cushion to keep her weak body comfortable. But something about it made his body heat up in embarrassment. He wasn’t used to being touched by anyone, especially by Visser One. He wasn’t the type to have gushy relationships with his fellow yeerks.    
  
He should be able to ignore it but he couldn’t, the more time that passed the more he became squirmy and uncomfortable. It was like his hearts couldn’t stop beating quickly as they were. He was starting to wonder if he missed being touched or something of similar matter. What ever it was, he was missing half the plot of this damn movie!

“Wow to think Maranell would just go on to fall in love with someone else after being promised she would get married when she came back… that’s pretty cruel of her. Poor Eslin! Look at his face!” Visser One was grinning as she watched the andalite male’s whole composure fall once he saw the female he loved walking with another male. 

<Well I don’t exactly condone her. She had no clue if he would stay faithful to his promise or not. People change over time as we all know in this damn stories.> Esplin said with a snort. 

“Yeah but that doesn’t make it any more okay.” Visser One argued. 

Esplin turned a stalk on Visser One’s face, realizing that she was looking upset herself. But for what reason would she be upset? It’s just a story right?

<Sometimes you’ve just got to accept that it is time to move on and choose another mate. She wasn’t the only female in the world he could love.>

_ “ _ Yeah but she was his love. He wanted her.” Visser One mumbled.    
  
The story progressed to the male visiting Maranell at her scoop with an armful of Promise flowers. He cried to her that he had waited for her so long and that they should get married tonight. Maranell looked severely surprised as he shoved the flowers into her arms. She looked between him, the flowers, and her lover who was waiting in another room. She then slowly looked down at the flowers, something glistening in her eyes.    
  
< _ I thought you would’ve forgotten about me and just moved on.> _

_ <I… I wouldn’t do that! I am faithful to you and to you alone! What does that male in there have on me?> _ __  
_  
_ __ <.......>

_ There was a flash back to Maranell catching the male with another female and then another where he ignored her during a festival to chat with a group of younger females. She thought she would never be good enough for anyone after so many years of being with him. She realized that the male behind her degraded her self esteem so much that she not longer thought good of herself. But here was a male so utterly faithful to her that he was willing to come to her house and ask her to marry him right in front of the unfaithful male. _

_ She  _ **_could_ ** _ do better! _ __  
_  
_ __ So she slowly look up at him, eyes glittering with determination, <I will… I will marry you!>

The two had run off together and the next events that transpired were utterly predictable. The unfaithful male broke into their small wedding to challenge Eslin for the right to be with the female. A battle ensued and Eslin had cut off his tail before sending him away with a stern warning to never bother them again. The wedding continued on and years later they’re back with them in the present with their first son. 

That was when the movie ended with a small speech from the female.    
  
< _ He had saved me from a life of misery and pain. I would’ve been nothing to that other male but here I am everything to Eslin. We have a fine son and soon to have another son. Our lives couldn’t be any happier as they are now.> _

The credits started flashing on screen as the family walks away with the child between them. 

“Oh man that was a good one!” Visser One finally pulled away from Esplin, stretching as she does. For a moment Esplin’s side felt utterly cold without her leaning on it. But he pushed that thought away, reminding himself that humans run at a warmer temperature than andalites.   
  
<Yes it was.> Esplin turned off the screen, getting to his hooves. <Rather interesting how she made that split second decision after all of that time avoiding him.>   
  
“Yeah I know right? I guess andalites are just as wishy washy as I thought.” Visser One laughed. 

<I must agree with that.> Esplin snorted, storing away his tablet. <I believe it is time to return.> _ And time to get away from her fast before someone sees them alone.  _

“Yeah, I guess so… but damn do I hate parties!” Visser One let out a groan. She paused for a moment before mischievously smiling up at Esplin. “Hey why not just ditch the party and just stay in here watching movies?”

Esplin jerked slightly at her offer.    
  
<Is that a good idea?>

“Who cares? I’m not about to have little lost Visser Two running after me again.” Visser One shoots a glare at the door.    
  
Esplin paused for a few moments weighing the options. Go out or stay in? Be miserable or watch more movies?

Esplin laid down before patting the spot next to himself, smirking. He might regret this later but why the hell not?

<Very well, let us watch more movies then.> __  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Another one done for the fic exchange. This one was for Mars! Sorry I couldn't add too much romance to it considering the plot but I hope it was sufficent enough! 
> 
> Who knew these two would bond over alien soap operas of all things?


End file.
